Movie Monday 11/3

I've had a rough couple of weeks (more on that in another post), so I got a bit behind here at the blog recently. These past two weekends, my husband and I watched two movies on DVD, both what he called "quirky," which isn't usually a compliment coming from him! But he liked them OK, and I enjoyed both. Nothing too weighty here - just some light-hearted fun:

Last weekend, we watched The Grand Budapest Hotel, a Wes Anderson film. Anderson is known for quirky, with movies like Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, and The Darjeeling Limited. This movie is no exception and has a brightly-colored, slightly fake look to it, like a sort of simulated reality - if you've seen any of the aforementioned films, you know what I mean. His movies are also known for a dark humor and somewhat farcical quality, also evident here. So, the plot centers on a grand old hotel in the Alps during the 1930's. Gustav is the hotel's venerated concierge, whom is responsible for the impeccable service that its customers come to expect. His protege is a young Lobby Boy in training named Zero who wants to be just like Gustav. When an elderly woman who is a frequent guest dies and leaves Gustav a priceless painting, the woman's greedy family suspects foul play and sends one vicious family member (played by Willem Dafoe) after him. What ensues is a madcap race across the continent, including an ingenuous escape from prison and assistance from Zero and a network of other high-end concierges. All of this takes place in that over-saturated colorful, fanciful style that Anderson is known for. I went along for the ride and enjoyed the fun.

This weekend, we watched Dom Hemingway, a movie that had been previewed on the Grand Budapest Hotel disc (by the same production company but a different director). The lead role of Dom is played by Jude Law, "as you've never seen him before," according to the promo (which is quite true!). He plays a street criminal in London who's just been released from prison after a twelve-year stay. He has two main goals: to get the money due to him from his last crime (and from keeping quiet all these years) and to reunite with his daughter. He acts as you might expect a criminal released from prison to act, going seriously overboard with alcohol, drugs, and women. As he tries to get his money, though, he runs into one roadblock after another. As for his daughter, she wants nothing to do with him. This movie also has a somewhat farcical quality to it, as one thing after another goes wrong for poor Dom. He's a despicable character - violent and foul-mouthed - but somehow likable, too, and you can't help rooting for him when nothing seems to go right. His efforts to win back his daughter bring an element of heart to the movie. Again, I really enjoyed it - though be warned that it is not for the faint-hearted!

Have you seen any good movies lately?